New York’s First Congressional District, comprised of the central part and the eastern end of Long Island, includes affluent playgrounds like the Hamptons, working class neighborhoods like Smithtown and Mastic, and rural farming communities on the North Fork. It has seen its share of political swings, alternating narrow wins in presidential elections -- George W.

Cool Hand Luke.

Communication is at the root of any successful negotiation. When we fail to communicate, we fail to negotiate: no compromise; no consensus; no collaboration; no action.

"If only you would be silentand let silence be your wisdom."--Job 13:5 (Revised English Bible)

The most powerful speech in Homer’s Odyssey is not a speech at all. It occurs in Book 1, when Odysseys travels to the Underworld and meets, among others, the great warrior Ajax. The two did not part on good terms. When Achilles was killed at the end of the Trojan War, both Ajax and Odysseus claimed his armor, and, when the Greek generals award it to Odysseus, Ajax fell into a blind rage and slaughtered a flock of sheep that he mistook for the generals.

Ask yourself this question; if a merchant I do business with had a major security breach involving my credit card data, would they tell me? The answer is probably no. At least, not right away.

Recently in my political science class, my professor started out the lecture by asking: “What makes a person an American citizen?” Besides a few orthodox answers regarding citizenship (green-card, documents and territory), there were an overwhelming amount of answers mentioning “experiences” and “values.”

The integrity of an election is equally, if not more, important than the outcome. If voters have no confidence in how their vote was counted, do the results matter? Do you know how your vote will be counted this November?

On Wednesday, January 22, members of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to discuss their findings after months of hearing about election administration concerns across the United States.

up for grabs in 2014, the one currently held by Max Baucus (D-MT) promises to be a barn burner. Pundits speculate that Republicans have an opportunity to regain control of the Senate and with an open seat for the taking, the Montana Senate race will be highly competitive. Baucus has been tapped by President Obama to be the new U.S. Ambassador to China.

Senator Rand Paul's avid libertarian supporters view him as a philosopher statesman with a robust and nuanced understanding of government. His more progressive critics argue that Paul is an old fossil representing outdated and discredited ideas.

Either way, Rand Paul's 2016 presidential ambitions continue to strengthen, especially in the wake of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's recent "Bridgegate" scandal.